We have 2 sons – one named [name_u]Noah[/name_u] and the other with a biblical name that starts with S. We are currently working on naming our third baby, who is a girl! I thought naming boys was hard, but naming girls seems to be even harder! We started with a list of about 15 names that neither of us hated, and we have whittled it down slowly to three. I am constantly looking for other options, but DH invariably says no to anything that is not relatively conventional. Middle and last names are family names, MN: a 2 syllable Hispanic name ending in O, LN: a 1-syllable [name_m]German[/name_m] name similar to Schultz. Ideally, name would be easy to pronounce in English and Spanish (we are a cross cultural family, so some family speaks only English, and other half only Spanish) and not too hard to spell.
Our top 3:
[name_f]Susannah[/name_f] - I like this, it is biblical, goes well with biblical siblings. I don’t love the nicknames. I can’t really imagine calling out “[name_f]Susie[/name_f]” around my house, and have tried “[name_f]Sanna[/name_f]” , “[name_u]Sunny[/name_u]” and even “[name_f]Sookie[/name_f]” as well, but they don’t feel right. I don’t really like “[name_f]Zuzu[/name_f]” or “[name_f]Zuzie[/name_f]” and definitely don’t want to go to “[name_f]Susan[/name_f]” (just too date-stamped). The best it has going for it is flow with the siblings, plus it is a well-known, and wouldn’t cause too much confusion.
[name_f]Rosanna[/name_f]/[name_f]Rosana[/name_f] - DH is a big fan, it has grown on me. [name_f]Love[/name_f] the nickname [name_f]Rosie[/name_f], and also the name [name_f]Anna[/name_f]. Our two sons picked [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] and [name_f]Anna[/name_f] for baby, respectively, and it’s cute to hear them say it. I had a slight negative first reaction to the name, but again, it has grown on me. I imagine seeing a baby and calling it [name_f]Rosanna[/name_f] would quickly nullify any negative associations I may have with the name (just imagining that scenario is helping me like it more). Best things going for it: nicknames and that it incorporates sibling picks.
[name_f]Violetta[/name_f]/[name_f]Violeta[/name_f] (pronounced vee-oh-LEH-ta) - I love this name. It is the one I have the most affection for. I like nicknames [name_f]Vi[/name_f], Vio, and [name_f]Violet[/name_f]. I can hear myself calling this name around the house. The English version of the name is easily pronounceable in English, but the Spanish version is less pronounceable. DH is concerned that many people would first say “vie” instead of “vee”, and a quick poll on babycenter’s website suggests that’s probably true about a third of the time or more. He thinks he doesn’t want to deal with that. But I have affection for it. Another con on this name is the Disney series in Latin [name_u]America[/name_u] by the same name (just google it if you are curious). But, I think that is a passing fad. Best thing going for this name: nicknames and affection.
DH likes the first two about the same, and [name_f]Violetta[/name_f] a distant 3rd.
So, how do we decide??? Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions on how to decide? (We got to our shortlist after an exhaustive review of names, so unlikely anything new will sway us at this point)
I automatically read it as VEE, while I automatically read [name_f]Violet[/name_f] as VIE. I can’t imagine it will be a problem, especially not for Spanish speakers? I’m sure some people will get it wrong but the majority of people she spends most of her time with (family, school, sports, work!) could be quickly taught the correct pronunciation.
[name_f]Violet[/name_f] is gorgeous, but I think its going to become more common. [name_m]How[/name_m] about [name_f]Rosanna[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]?